The Governor of Gravesend and Tilbury Fort (or West Tilbury) was the military officer responsible for paired fortifications and blockhouses protecting the River Thames: on the south side of the river at Gravesend, Kent and on the north side at Tilbury Fort and West Tilbury, Essex. The fortifications here date from the time of Henry VIII; Tilbury Fort remained in military use until 1950, but the office of Governor was discontinued upon the death of Sir Lowry Cole in 1842.